Girl Next Door
by Carousel Ladie
Summary: Jack and his children try to cope with their new neighbors, named Kate and Amelia. Summary's boring, read anyway!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**  
Jack watched out the kitchen window as Jackson, his ten year old son, flew around the driveway on his skateboard. Clad in a helmet and elbow and knee pads Jack turned back to the matter at hand in the house. His three year old daughter Lacey had transformed the kitchen table into tea party central. She had stuffed animals dressed up sitting in three of the four chairs around the table as she occupied the forth. Her hair was brown and curly. It was half up and half down with a plastic tiara nestled in the curls. She was wearing pink elbow length gloves with plastic rings on almost every finger. A yellow feather boa was wrapped around her neck and a white vest was buttoned up which was over a pick t shirt. Her waste was wrapped in a pink tutu as her legs were stuffed into white and yellow striped stockings and her feet were in pink ballerina slippers. She looked absolutely ridiculous Jackson had said but Jack had interfered by saying she was beautiful. She chattered earnestly to her stuffed fake guests as Jack smiled down on her.

Out in the driveway next door her could hear moving trucks drive up, men unpack, and then drive away. The house, which had been up for sale for almost a year, had finally been bought. That was one of the reasons Jackson was skateboarding, he was nosy. Jackson never skateboarded, his passions were his dirt bike, four wheeler, and to go fishing.

Lacey was completely lost in her own world as Jackson rushed through the door.

"Dad, the new people are at the house," he told Jack. Jack had heard through the grapevine that the new buyer was a mother with her young daughter. He looked out the window and saw his neighbor talking to his new neighbor. Deciding he should meet them he walked over to his daughter.

"Wanna go for a walk?" he asked her. She looked up at him and shook her little head. Jack sighed as he bent over to pick her up. Jack walked across his lawn with Lacey in his arms and Jackson next to him. When he got close enough he saw that the mother was really pretty. She had long brown hair and a complexion that didn't need make up to look nice. She was wearing faded out jeans and a black t shirt as her daughter wore jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. The little girl was gripping her mother's hand. The woman smiled at Jack as he walked up to her. 

"Hi," he said. Smooth Jack he thought sarcastically. 

"Hi," she replied cheerfully.

He set Lacey on the ground. She gripped his hand as if it were her only lifeline.

"I'm Jack and this is Jackson and Lacey," he told her. She shook his outstretched hand.

"I'm Kate and this is Amelia," she beamed as she looked at her daughter. Despite how excited Jackson was minutes earlier he only stayed long enough to make an appearance and then left.

"Can I ask you something?" Kate asked Jack.

"Sure."

"Is this really a good neighborhood? I've looked everywhere and nothing seems just right and I've only heard good things about this place," she said.

"Yeah, it's great. You'll be really happy here," he told her. They smiled at each other for a minute.

"How old are your kids?" she asked him.

"This one is three and Jack's ten. What about Amelia?"

"She's six."

The two little girls eyed each other from behind their parent's legs. Amelia thought Lacey looked absolutely silly whereas Lacey thought Amelia looked really mean. Lacey was a shy kid who took bad to strangers. She had a hard time meeting new people.

"Mom, I'm hungry," Amelia said in a small voice behind Kate. Kate looked at her watch and frowned.

"It's six already?" she said to no one in particular.

"Can we get something to eat?" she asked her mother.

"Yeah honey, we can," Kate told her. Jack stood there fighting with himself. Should he go on impulse or just let it go? He went on impulse.

"Why don't you two come over and I'll make dinner for all of us," he proposed. Kate looked at him and he wasn't sure what she was thinking.

"Are you sure? We just met, I don't want to be intruding," she said.

"I'm positive, you won't be intruding, I promise," he said.

"Well yeah…ok I guess," she agreed.

Jack felt Lacey's little hand squeeze his big one. He knew instantly that she didn't like the idea. Jackson stayed in the driveway as the four of them entered the kitchen. The evidence from Lacey's tea party was still evident. Kate's eyes glowed as she looked at the little girl's imagination.

"Daddy, do I have to clean this up?" Lacey asked.

"What? Oh, no we'll eat outside," he told her. Lacey sat down in her chair and continued her game as if she were never interpreted. Amelia clung to Kate as soon as they entered the kitchen. Jack noticed that the little girl was nervous so he turned the television set on low across the room and after some prodding Kate left Amelia to watch cartoons. 

"So Jack, what do you do for a living?" Kate asked boldly. He liked her already.

"I'm a surgeon," he replied.

"Top surgeon, next to Pappy," Lacey chimed in.

"Impressive," Kate told him. He smiled as he pulled some food out of the fridge. Without asking if he needed help Kate began helping.

"What about you?"

"I'm a lawyer," she told him confidently.

"Wow," he managed to say.

"Well it's safe to say we're both impressive," she said. He chuckled as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Are you married?"

He shook his head.

"No, not anymore," he began. "I've been divorced for a year. You?"

"I was never married. I was in a long term relationship with my boyfriend. We were together for eight years and we had Amelia but, wow it's a small world, he's a doctor. Between the hours we were both working the relationship just dwindled you know?"

He nodded because he knew all too well about a relationship dwindling because of long working hours. As he put chicken in the oven he wondered why any man would be foolish enough to break up with a woman like Kate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Since they shared dinner Jack and Kate hadn't seen each other. It had been a week and had somehow missed each other every time. Whenever Jack was home Kate wasn't and vice versa. Both parents became used to hearing a car pull into the opposite driveway late at night. In the pit of Jack's stomach he missed her. They had somehow connected so easily so fast and then all of a sudden they were separated.

On his way home from work he had dropped off his kids at their mother's, Sarah. When he pulled in the driveway it was six thirty and noticed that Kate's car was sitting in her driveway. His heart sped up a bit. Tonight was the annual block party held every summer. Jack made an appearance every year but since he had children he didn't party as hard and never stayed all night, unlike when he had first gotten married and him and Sarah were childless. It wasn't unnatural for the two of them to stay out all night, get drunk, and stumble into bed around six in the morning. But those days were over, he was selfish back then, only living for himself. Now he had two people who needed him more than a night of drinking.

He threw on a pair of light jeans and red t shirt with a bunch of black, bold writing on it. Around eight thirty he left his house and walked just a little bit down the street where most of the people were. Looking around he tried to see if Kate was there, but he saw no sign of her. He talked to his neighbors and just hung out until he saw her. She was standing in the middle of the blocked off street with Newell. He was street's biggest flirt and everyone knew it, except for poor Kate. She was standing there were her arms crossed over her chest and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Jack could tell that she was bored and slightly uncomfortable, except that Newell wouldn't have noticed because she was smiling like an idiot at him and she was wearing a yellow summer dress that showed off her taut body. He was an attractive man and Jack could tell that Kate took notice. He was still talking away as she slowly turned her head around to scan the party. Her eyes locked on him as she smiled harder and waved. He waved back as he made his way through the crowd to her.

"Hey Newell," Jack said to the man.

"Hey Jack," the mad replied.

"You mind if I steal her for a bit?" Jack asked. Newell looked slightly disappointed and ended up shaking his head. Kate smiled at him.

"It was nice meeting you Newell," she said to him.

"Yeah, same to you."

He turned around and walked through the mass of people.

"Thanks," Kate beamed up at Jack. "I was afraid that I was going to have to hit him if he asked me if he could take me home."

Jack chuckled.

"Yeah, I never thought about warning you against him. He can get pushy but he would never touch you unless you want him to. He does have some control," Jack said.

"I didn't see that but I'll take your word for it."

"…I wasn't sure if you could come out tonight. I haven't talked to you since we had dinner," Jack told her as they slowly walked down a sidewalk.

"Well I got stuck at the firm all day and I have a load of paper work to plow through tomorrow. But I thought heck, why not waste a precious night of sleep to come meet all my neighbors. And I kinda missed you," she mumbled the last part. Jack smiled at her as they continued walking.

"You must be one heck of a devoted lawyer to work on a Saturday," Jack said.

"Yeah, next to Amelia it's my life. Well what about you? You're a doctor; you work all the time at really weird hours of the day. And I have to say I'm impressed that you're as successful as you are and still have time to raise kids. Because their great by the way."

"Thanks. Yeah they are pretty amazing, but I can't take all the credit. Their mother is a teacher and she has more time to spend with them."

Kate could detect a small amount of grief when Jack talked about his ex-wife. At dinner they hadn't discussed Jack's marriage and Kate figured it had been rougher than she imagined.

"So Jack, how many of these block parties have you been to?" Kate asked.

"Oh gawd," he sighed. "Um…Sarah and I got married fifteen years ago. We moved in a month after the wedding and a couple weeks later it was party night. So for fifteen years."

"Wow," Kate said. Jack chuckled. The music on the stereo that was placed at the end of someone's driveway was turned to full blast. People began dancing; some were slow dancing and some were fast dancing. No one cared how other people were dancing, just as long as they were dancing. Kate's eyes lit up as she looked up at Jack. "Wanna dance?"

Jack groaned slightly as Kate grabbed his hands and pulled him into the street. She linked her fingers behind his neck as his hands rested around her waist. They swayed together to the music.

"So Jack, tell me how a nice, attractive, successful man such as yourself is single," Kate asked. He blushed slightly as he giggled.

"Are you coming on to me?" he asked her. She nodded her head briefly as she tightened her grip around his neck which brought her face closer to his. Her boldness was oddly attractive. They continued to dance for a minute.

"You never answered my question," Kate said.

Jack pursed his lips and looked determinedly down into her eyes.

"I haven't found that person who takes me as a package deal. She doesn't just get me, she's gets me and my children," Jack told her. Kate tensed up as they danced.

"I think I love you," she said seriously.

Jack chuckled and looked confusingly at her.

"It's just…most men don't want the 'extra baggage'. You know? It's hard to find guys who willingly accept you and your child," Kate said.

"Well your child is amazing, any man would be stupid to turn you down because of your daughter," Jack told her. Kate held onto him tighter as their bodies became closer. Before she met Jack Kate was never bold. But something in her sparked and she wasn't sure what exactly it was. She brought her mouth close to his; she could feel his breath on her lips. Their noses gently rubbed together as she pressed her mouth to his.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jack didn't know how to respond to the kiss. Kate had pulled away as fast as she leaned in. His lips were swollen from the sudden intensity. The look on her face was a mixture of fear and being confused. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck and his arms were still around her waist. The music was still playing though neither one of them heard it. He tried to blink away the cloud of haze clear of his eyes as he leaned down to capture her lips with his. The passion she used to return the gesture made Jack weak in the knees, something Sarah could only do several times throughout their whole courtship. Once again Kate was the one who broke the kiss as she tightened her grip and leaned her forehead against his. Removing her hands from his neck she wrapped them tightly around his waist. He moved his arms up so that he could wrap around her at the shoulders. She rested her head against his chest and he scanned the party. To his left he saw Newell standing there looking in disbelief at the entangled couple. Jack mouthed 'sorry' to him and to his surprise Newell shrugged and gave two thumbs up with a wide grin before he disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm ready to go home," Kate muffled against his chest. Jack leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head. She pulled away from him as their fingers linked together. They managed to make it through the crowd and walk down their street towards their houses without being stopped, which Jack loved, because this 'thing' between him and Kate, well that's what it was, exactly between him and Kate. They walked up to her front door. She once again wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I had fun tonight," she said with a lazy smile as she tilted her head back to look at him.

"Yeah…me too," he told her. They shared another body melting kiss before breaking apart for the last time that night. Both adults looked at each other while secretly contemplating the same question. Kate wanted him to come in but they had only just met. Jack was thinking the same thing except that he didn't care that they had just met.

"Good night Jack," she told him finally. He inhaled and forced a fake smile on his face. 

"Night Katie," he told her.

No one had called her Katie in a long time. She grinned at him as she turned the doorknob and opened the door. She slipped inside and gently closed the door leaving Jack standing on the other side.

On Monday morning Jack had his kids dressed and out the door by seven thirty, a record. Just as he was throwing bags into the trunk he saw Kate walk out her front door with a grinning Amelia at her side. Kate was wearing a tailored gray suit that accented her beautifully. Her hair was pinned at the nape of her neck in a neat bun. The two of them hadn't talked since Friday night at the party. She looked up just as Jack slammed down the trunk. Grinning she waved to him as Amelia climbed in the back of her mom's expensive car.

"Hi," she said brightly as she walked over to him. It was as if they called each other to match accordingly that day. Jack was clad in a gray suit himself with a silk navy blue tie.

"Hi you," he responded just as cheerfully. "I was going to call…"

"So was I," Kate said throwing her arm into the air. "But I got stuck at the firm all day Saturday and then Amelia had a soccer game on Sunday."

"Yeah. I worked all Saturday and then both kids got sick yesterday. It got pretty bad," Jack told her. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she looked over at the children in the backseat of Jack's car. They looked healthy.

"They ok now?"

"Oh yeah, their prefect now," Jack told her. Just as he said that his kids looked over at him and Kate. She waved to them.

"Hey kids," she said with a smile.

"Hi Kate," they said in unison.

"So Jack listen, I have to go to work. I was thinking…maybe we could have dinner…minus the kids," Kate suggested.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels.

"I'd like that," he told her.

"Great. I'll call you after work, maybe we can get together then."

"That'd be good," he told her. She smiled up at him and without thinking she leaned up to kiss him. The kiss lasted less than a couple seconds. When Kate was steady on her feet again she sucked in her lips against her teeth.

"Bye," she said to him.

"Bye," he returned as she walked to her car. By the time he slid into the driver's seat of his own car Kate had pulled out. He didn't dare look into the rearview mirror. He knew that there would be two small curious faces looking back at him. "You guy's ready?"

A muffled 'yes' was heard from behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kate had called Jack right when he was getting off work around three. They agreed to have her come over around eight and they would go to dinner. Jack had called his mother to see if she would come baby sit. Not to his surprise she happily agreed. He fed his kids at five, helped them with their homework, and then went upstairs with Lacey in the crook of his arm to get changed. She was lying on his bed in a purple robe while she watched television. He had never really worried about what he wore in public. He was always confident in his looks, but tonight he was horrified. In his closet he found a pair of beige dress pants and a white button up shirt. He turned around to show Lacey.

"You look pretty daddy," she said in her little voice. He chuckled.

"I was going for handsome, but pretty will do Bug," he said as he kissed her neck. Bug had been her nickname for as long as he could remember.

He scooped her up in his arms and carried her downstairs. Margo was sitting on the couch next to Jackson as they watched television. 

"My my, Mr. Shephard. Don't you look handsome," his mother said. "So, am I going to be able to meet this lucky girl?"

"Yeah, she's coming over then we're going," Jack told her as the doorbell rang. He walked over and answered the door. Kate was wearing a knee length baby blue cocktail dress. It was strapless and had a white ribbon around the waist that tied into a bow in the back. "Wow."

"Ha, thanks," Kate blushed. "You look quite good yourself."

Jack leaned his head down to kiss her cheek. Jackson groaned and sighed from the other room.

"They've been doing that a lot lately," he told his grandmother. When Jack pulled away he smirked at Kate.

"My mom wants to meet you," Jack told her. He grabbed her hand and walked with her into the living room. Margo stood up when the entered.

"Mom this Kate, Kate this is my mom Margo," Jack introduced the two women. Both smiled sincerely as they shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you Kate," Margo told her.

"It's nice to meet you too," Kate replied. When she pulled her hand away she noticed Jackson and Lacey sitting on the couch. "Hi kids."

"Hi," they said in cheerful unison. 

"You ready to go?" Jack asked Kate. She nodded her head. 

He bent down to his kids.

"You two behave," he told them. He kissed Lacey's hair and rubbed Jackson's head. Standing back up he grabbed Kate's hand as they left the house. 

At dinner they sat across from each other in an expensive restaurant. The atmosphere was high class but cozy. Their fingers were entwined together on the side of the table. They discussed everything from their kids to hobbies. Very little did they discuss their jobs. Kate had tried to pull something about Jack's job out of him but she got very little. After they ate dessert, paid, and left they decided to go window shopping. Actually Kate had decided and while she wore that dress he was at her beckoning call. Jack had his hands in his pockets as one of Kate's arms was looped through his. The windows on either side of the street were illuminated with light and couples ranging from young to old strolled down the sidewalks.

"My god, that's horrible," Kate said astonished. Jack stopped next to her abruptly.

"What is it?" he asked concerned.

"I paid $300 for those exact same red pumps at another store. Here they're only $94," Kate said stupefied as she looked in through the window at different shoes.

"Why would you even pay $300 for a pair of shoes that kill your back?" Jack asked amused.

Kate turned her head to face him and she could only stare at him. She wasn't good at explaining her life with her boyfriend, so she would keep it short.

"My ex-boyfriend had a thing for red high heels," she said shortly. She tensed slightly at her harsh tone. "Jack…I'm sorry, I…"

"Forget it," he told her.

Did they seriously just fight over a dumb pair of shoes? She removed her hand from his arms and stepped away slightly from him. He never changed his pace. He kept his hands in his pockets as they continued walking down the street. It wasn't stupid to be pissed right? Kate tried telling herself that. Technically the two of them had just met a little over a week ago. They weren't going out really were they? What they were one was a date, but did it actually mean anything? 

"What are you thinking?" Jack broke through her thoughts. She shook her head and lowered her head she that she was looking at the ground.

"It's nothing," she told him. She mentally kicked herself as she felt the threat of tears at the brim of her eyes.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked as he wrapped her in his arms. She shook her head as she cushioned it against his chest.

"I hate him," she managed to blurt out. But she didn't say anymore as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk and embraced each other. Jack rested his chin on the top of her head as she tried to regain control of her emotions. When she pulled away she saw the small mark from her ashamed tears stained into his shirt. She hastily dabbed at her eyes. "Gawd, my mascara is probably running and my eyes are swollen…"

"You still look great," he told her reassuringly as he traced a thumb under her eye. She smiled weakly up at him. "Oh…and just so that you know…I have a thing for brunettes in blue cocktail dresses."

She half snorted and half chuckled at his comment.

"Well men with buzz cuts wearing white dress shirts makes me weak in the knees," she told him as she clutched tightly onto his shirt.

He grinned like an idiot as he looked down into her eyes. She leaned up to briefly kiss his cheek before grabbing his hand and walking down the street once again. They walked like that for several minutes before Kate once again stopped them abruptly.

"Jack we have to get pictures taken," she said excitedly. She resembled an eager child in a toy store as she pointed to the photo booth like the ones in the malls and all but jumped up and down. He laughed and waved his hand to calm her.

"Alright," he said defeated as he placed money into the slot and held the curtain open so that Kate could walk through. The bench wasn't very big which resulted in Kate sitting on Jack's lap. Her arms went around his neck as they grinned like recently sacrificed virgins for the camera. Their smiles were so big their cheeks hurt. The second one was the almighty screwed up face shot. The third had Kate kissing Jack's cheek and his eyes looking over at her. The last picture was of the two of them kissing.

When the pictures slid through the slot Kate picked them up and giggled. 

"We look like teenagers," she said.

"No wonder they have so much fun in these things," Jack said as his thumb scanned over the picture of them kissing. Kate clamped one hand over the pictures as she threw her arms to her sides and sighed.

"Well, are you ready to go boob?"

"Did you just call me a boob?" Jack asked stunned.

Kate chuckled and rolled her eyes as she just realized what she did.

"Yeah, it's what I call Amelia sometimes," she told him. Jack looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know about you sometimes," he told her. She smiled and threw her arms around his waist as they walked back to his car.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Jack pulled into his driveway and killed the engine. He got out of the car and walked over to the passenger door. Opening it he helped Kate get out. She smoothed her dress down in the back before Jack walked her to her door. Taking her key out of her purse she said nothing to Jack as she unlocked her door and walked inside. She stopped right in the foyer and chuckled to herself. She turned her head to look back at him, her hair billowing down over her shoulders.

"You coming in?" she asked amused. Jack's legs were shaking slightly as he walked in through the doorway. Her house was absolutely stunning. He could seea mountain of blankets and pillows in the living scattered all over the floor. A teenage girl no older that 17 walked down the hall to Kate.

"Amelia's asleep in the fort," she told Kate as she gestured toward the mountain. "She behaved all night."

"Thanks Candace," Kate told her as she paid the teenager and walked her to the door.

Kate walked past Jack down the hall.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Uh…yeah, thanks," he said as he followed suit.

When he walked into the kitchen behind Kate he saw her put the pictures of them up on the fridge. The pictures blended in to the pictures of Kate and Amelia and various drawings he guessed that Amelia had made.

She pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to him. As he opened it and took a drink she walked over to her answering machine.

"I hate people," she mumbled as she turned the machine on to listen to the messages. There were four and they all had to do with cases. All of them had said they were urgent and needed her to call back right away. Kate didn't care. "Screw them."

She walked over to Jack and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For the great evening," she told him. He smiled down at her but his eye caught the digital clock built into the stove. It read 12:30.

"I better go home," he told her quietly.

"Yeah," she said absently. "I'll walk you out."

When they reached the door Jack kissed Kate passionately. They whispered bye to each other before Jack slipped out the door.

When Jack walked into his own house he saw his mom sitting on the stairs reading a book.

"I was starting to think that you weren't coming home," she told him as she got up. "I heard the car pull in but then you never came in."

"I had to walk Kate home," Jack told her.

"Yeah, I figured. I just thought that you would be tucking her in," Margo said suggestively.

"Oh my god mom," Jack said as he pulled his shirt out from the waist of his pants.

"Well I'm gonna go kiddo. Behave yourself," she said as she reached up to kiss his cheek. She walked out the door herself as she always had.

He walked up the stairs and checked on his kids. They were sleeping in their beds. He walked into his room, stripped off his clothes down to his boxers, and fell into bed.

The next day after school and work Jack was making dinner as he watched Jackson out the window. Lacey was over at Sarah's. He was out in the backyard kicking around a soccer ball. Jackson caught him staring and waved his hand for Jack to come out. He figured that dinner could wait. Jackson was in a t shirt and jeans while he was still in a suit minus the jacket. Stepping outside he pulled off his shoes and socks and then rolled up his pants legs and his shirt. The two of them set up two small goalie nets and set boundaries. Jack had gotten so into the game that he didn't notice Kate walk out onto her patio carrying a bowl full of salad with Amelia following her with her own food in hand. They set the food on the patio table and Kate could only stare at the scene in front of her.

Jackson kicked the ball right past him into the goal scoring him another point. Jackson hollered and jumped in victory as Jack shrugged and bent over. His ten year old had just beat him. When he straightened back up he turned to Jackson and saw Kate staring at him. She smiled at him and waved as he waved back. Jack and Kate's backyards had no boundaries between them making it one big stretch of lawn. Amelia walked down the Jackson and asked if she could play. He said sure and the two of them began playing. Kate could only stand there astonished.

"I thought she was scared of him," Kate said as Jack walked up to her. "Hi you."

"Hi you," Jack mimicked and whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

"Where's Lacey?" Kate asked as she pulled away.

"At her mom's," Jack told her.

"Are you guy's hungry? We have more than enough food," Kate told him.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks," he said. They were about to call the kids over when they noticed they were no longer in the yard.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Tell me they just went inside," Kate said as she gripped Jack's shirt. The tone of fear in her voice was evident.

"They had to of, Jackson knows he's not allowed of the backyard," Jack said. He needed to break the fear and tension that Kate was feeling. "Wanna eat now?"

"What? Oh, yeah…sure," she said. In an instinctive move he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She hugged back as they heard the back screen door open and heard their children's chatter fill the air. Kate breathed deeply which made Jack giggle.

"Better now?" he asked against her hair.

"Yeah."

"Dad? Can Amelia and I pitch the tent and sleep out here tonight?" Jackson asked behind the couple. Jack pulled away slightly from Kate but kept his arms securely around her waist.

"Jack, it's a school night," Jack informed his son. "But you two can on Friday night as long as it's alright with Kate."

Immediately three sets of eyes, two small and one big, fell onto Kate. Her daughter had just been horrified of this boy a couple hours ago.

"Um, I don't care," she said. The two kids jumped into the air in excitement.  
----  
On Friday night Jack had once again dropped Lacey off at Sarah's so that Jackson and Amelia could camp out without the interference of a little girl. As soon as Jack and Jackson got home they went out into the backyard to pitch the tent. Kate and Amelia got home around eight thirty. Immediately the little girl ran into the backyard with Kate stumbling behind her on high heels.

"Hi, sorry it took so long," Kate said. "I had to go over to Amelia's dad's for a bit."

"It's alright," Jack told her as they exchanged kisses on their cheeks.

They took a few minutes to watch the kids. Without realizing it the two adults wrapped their arms around each other's waists.

"Mom! We need blankets and pillows and sleeping bags!" Amelia yelled from the tent.

"Oh god, here we go," Kate mumbled as Amelia ran to the backdoor of her house to wait for her mother to unlock it.

"I'll see you in a bit," Jack whispered to Kate as he went into his own house with his child.

Fifteen minutes later Jack walked out of the house with an armful of blankets followed by Jackson who heaved pillows. Kate was already standing at the entrance of the tent with Amelia. The little girl was wearing striped pajama pants and a lightweight blue hooded sweatshirt. Kate had the same pants with a long sleeve white shirt. Jackson was wearing shorts and a hooded sweatshirt whereas Jack was wearing running pants and a t shirt. Jack and Jackson threw the sleeping items into the tent.

"Night," Jackson said as he stepped into the tent.

"Night Mom," Amelia said as she hugged her briefly and followed Jackson into the tent. They had packed the tent not only with blankets and pillows but also with cards and games.

"My baby is camping out with a guy," Kate said as she hugged herself. Jack chuckled as he hugged her.

"My son is sleeping with a girl already," Jack said.

"We're horrible parents," Kate leaned her head up to him. He smiled as he dropped a kiss on her lips.

"Come on," Jack grabbed her hand and walked with her back to his house. When they entered the kitchen Kate immediately went to the window to watch the tent. "There's a reason there's flaps for the windows. So no one can look in."

Kate whirled around and stared at Jack evilly.

"That's not funny," she growled.

"Tell you what," he said as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, having her back against his chest. "You have a roof over your back porch. We'll sleep out on there so that we can keep an eye on them."

Kate refused to give in to him.

"…Fine," she said.

Around nine thirty Kate and Jack were sitting cuddled together on the patio couch on the porch. Darkness was falling around them and flashlights were illuminating the tent. Giggles and gut wrenching laughs could be heard from the children.

"If I hear a grunt or groan I'm going in there," Kate mumbled. Jack's arm was around her neck and her mouth was resting against it.

"At least they're having fun," Jack said.

"I'm glad they are," Kate said. Jack froze.

"Are you saying that you're not having fun out here with me Katie?" Jack asked her. That managed to produce a giggle out of her.

"I'm having a bunch of fun Jackie," she joked as she inclined her head at an angle to kiss his stubbly cheek.

Reaching into his pocket Jack dug for his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked him curiously.

"Ordering pizza. The bed partners have to be getting hungry," Jack said as Kate punched him in the side. He grinned as he dialed and placed the order.

"You're not funny," Kate said as she tilted her head up to look at him.

"You think I'm hilarious," Jack said. Their lips met in their first passionate kiss they shared in days.


	7. Chapter 7

(this chapter is either really lame or really cute and funny. read anyway.)

**Chapter 7**

After finishing eating their pizza Jackson and Amelia went back into the tent. Kate sighed as she watched her daughter and Jack's son ran back to the shelter. Once again their giggles could be heard through the thin material.

"Do you really not trust my son?" Jack asked innocently.

"What? No. I guess I'm just not ready for my daughter to be gaining independence at six. She's never been like this," Kate said as she sat up on the bench they were sharing. She looked over at Jack. "How old were you when you first shared a tent with a girl?"

"Never," Jack said.

"What? Never?" Kate asked completely and utterly shocked.

"I've never been camping," Jack said as calmly as though Kate never said anything. "My parents never went and I just never got around to going."

"You poor sheltered city boy," Kate teased. Jack turned his head to look at her when he detected a note of sympathy in her voice. "Everyone should go camping at least once in their lifetime."

"How old were you when you first shared a tent with a guy?" Jack asked curiously.

"I was eleven," Kate said almost in a trance. "Wait, hold on."

She gripped Jack's arm.

"If you've never been camping then why do you have a tent?" Kate asked him.

"Because Jackson likes to set it up back here every summer," Jack told her.

Kate clamped one eye shut as she looked at Jack.

"You're strange Jack Shephard," she told him.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked her.

"No, no I guess not," Kate said and instantly dropped the subject. A wicked smile grew on her face as she looked over at him. "Wanna play a game?"

"Is it sexual?" Jack asked, completely taken aback by the smile on her face.

"No. So you've never been camping but you've been to college. You have to have heard of it. It's called 'I never'," Kate told him.

"That game always leads to trouble," Jack said. Kate giggled and ran into the house. She came back out holding two bottles of pop.

"You don't have any liquor," Kate said disappointedly.

"I don't keep it because of the kids," Jack told her as he took the offered can.

"Okay, I'll start," Kate said. "Um…I've never been out of the United States."

Jack lifted his can to his lips and took a sip.

"Canada and Europe. Alright, um, I never had a steady partner in high school."

Kate took a sip.

"You were a floater?" Kate asked and was replied with a nod. "I've never been to a concert."

Jack looked at her with absolute shock. He slowly took a sip but continued to stare at her. Kate blushed and chuckled at his stare.

"I was really into studying throughout high school and college. And then Amelia came along. I just never got around to going to one," she mimicked Jack about his lack of camping.

It was Jack's turn.

"I've never had a one night stand."

She took a reluctant sip. She looked like she was on the verge of tears which scared Jack.

"You're right, this game leads to trouble, I'm done playing," Kate said. Even though Kate was vulnerable Jack decided this was the best time to step in.

"Kate…what exactly happened between you and Amelia's dad?"

Kate pressed her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. The look in her eyes was distant.

"His name was Tom," she began. At that she burst into tears and fell into herself.


	8. Chapter 8

_ok, this chapter is the point of view of the kids. i will continue with where i left off with kate in the next update.  
if this chapter seems adult for the children, its meant to be. but in their own childhood innocence. they are trying to understand their lives through their young eyes._

**Chapter 8**

Amelia and Jackson sat across from each other in the tent, each sitting on their own sleeping bag.

"Why don't you have a mom?" Amelia asked.

"Same reason you don't have a dad," Jackson replied. Both children knew that each had two parents. It was the innocence of the questions that had them discussing such a sore topic.

"Your mom hit your dad?" Amelia asked confused.

"No. Why? Did your dad hit your mom or something?" Jackson asked, a hint of amusement was in his voice. Amelia didn't catch on.

"Yeah, he would slap her a lot. I saw him punch her stomach a couple times," she said nonchalantly. Jackson couldn't even fathom something to that degree. "Have you parents ever hit?"

"No, maybe a light swat across the bum if we're really bad," Jackson said. "Did…did your dad ever hit you?"

He was almost too scared to know the answer.

"Yeah. I dropped a plate and it broke. He came like charging at me and lifted me into the air by the arm and hit my butt hard. He hit several times and it stung really bad. When he was done he threw me to the floor. My mom walked in and saw me there. Daddy fell to his knees on the floor and started crying but Mom just picked me up and carried me to the car. They broke up then," she said so calmly that Jackson was shaking slightly. He had protective instincts over Lacey and couldn't even imagine his dad hitting her.

"I won't let him hurt you again," Jackson said before he could stop himself.

Amelia looked up and chuckled.

"Yeah, okay."

He let his gaze wander around the bottom of the tent.

"Did your mom ever make your dad cry?" Jackson asked.

"Well, I guess. He would always cry after he got done hitting Mom. I can remember her screaming and him yelling and then there was quiet because he hit her. And then he would start crying. At first Mom would tell him it was alright and she was okay, but she gave up. She quit forgiving him."

"You're not a normal six year old," he told her.

"I've always been called mature, don't know what it means, but it sounds good," she said.

"Yeah, it's good."

"So, did your mom make your dad cry?" Amelia asked innocently.

"Yeah, the night she told him she was leaving him. They were washing the dishes. She walked out of the kitchen, kissed Lacey and me goodbye and left. I heard Dad in the kitchen crying," Jackson said.

Amelia exhaled loudly.

"I like your dad, he's nice," she said. Jackson had to smile.

"I like him too. My mom is nice, she just doesn't get along with Dad," he said. "And I like your mom. She seems cool."

"She is," Amelia said proudly. "I don't like talking about this anymore."

"Yeah, okay," Jackson told her. He watched her lay down on her side, facing away from him. After a few minutes he heard her breathing level out; she was asleep. Quietly Jackson went to the screened windowed and slowly unzipped the shield flap. He opened it just enough to see his dad and Kate. Kate was cuddled up against his side and his arms were around her. It looked like she had been crying. His dad lowered his head so that her mouth was to his ear as he listened to her whispered speech. Jackson deemed them privacy again by zipping the flap back into place.

"Jack…stay here tonight," Amelia said groggily. He had never heard anyone say that before. To him it sounded so adult. Lacey was the only girl who held his heart in her hand, except for his mom but to him that was different; now Amelia was someone who he needed to protect. There was definitely a place in his heart for her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Jack held onto Kate as she leveled her breathing. Her head rested against his shoulder. She had just confessed everything about Tom. Jack couldn't even fathom hitting Sarah. What evoked Tom to hit Kate was out of his grasp. He could vaguely remember swatting his children's backsides when they misbehaved and he could distinctly remember Lacey laughing right in his face after he spanked her. To top it off she had grabbed his face in her little hands and kissed his nose. Never would he literally beat his children as Tom had with Amelia. As he sat there holding onto Kate he suddenly became aware of her fragileness. He was worried that he might be hurting her by holding too tightly. When he tried to ease up a little bit she gripped his wrist.

"No, please, just hold me," she said faintly.

"Of course," Jack whispered in her hair. If that was the only way to help her well then that's what he would do.

When Jackson woke up in the morning he saw that he and Amelia were curled together in a mass of blankets. Her warm breath was blowing on his ear. He caught a brief scent of it, for morning breath it didn't smell that bad he mused. It was a mixture of strawberries and milk. He wasn't able to move unless he woke her up. She was on her side and his arm was trapped underneath her. Nearly ten minutes later her eyes fluttered open. She saw Jackson only inches from her face and it took her several minutes to realize how close they actually were. She moved her head back and then stumbled back so that she could put distance between them. Jackson saw the fear emerge in her eyes.

"Amelia, it's alright," he said. He placed his hand in front of him but didn't dare move. His arm was numb due to her sleeping on it. Her hair was tousled and her breathing was labored.

"Why…why was I that close to you?" she asked him. He could only gape at her; she was extremely too mature for her age.

"We uh…I'm not sure. We must have rolled around when we were sleeping. We each went to sleep on our own sleeping bags," he calmly explained to her. She wasn't accepting the explanation easily. She sat across the tent from him and looked at him. He felt as though she was looking into his soul. Becoming slightly freaked out he rubbed his arm and looked away from her. "I'm hungry; let's go see if our parents will make us something."

He didn't wait around to see if she was coming. He unzipped the tent door and stepped out. The grass was wet with dew and his bare feet began to freeze. He held the door open and slowly Amelia emerged from it. She was also in bare feet and ran across the yard to her back door. Jackson followed suit and when he stepped into the kitchen he saw Kate holding Amelia against her chest. She looked like a little baby in her mother's arm. That frightened Jackson, what had he done to terrify her and what would she tell Kate about him?

His mouth began watering as he smelled pancakes. He hadn't even noticed his dad standing at the counter. Jack carried a plate of pancakes over to the table for Jackson. A big grin grew on the kid's face as he poured syrup all over the fluffy cakes. Jack laughed and ruffled his son's hair.

Kate gently placed Amelia in a chair at the table and brought over a plate of pancakes for her. The little girl poured a generous amount of syrup on the cakes and dug right in. While they were eating Amelia never brought her gaze up to Jackson. Their parents were completely oblivious to what the kids were doing. They each held mugs of coffee and were laughing with each other over something Jackson wasn't listening to. Amelia finished her pancakes first and left the room. Jackson sat at the table finishing his cakes.

"You can go watch tv with her when your done Jackson," Kate told him sweetly. It was easy to like Kate Jackson told himself. Sure enough he finished his breakfast within a few minutes and left the room to find Amelia and watch tv, if she wasn't still terrified of him.

Kate wrapped her arms around Jack's waist and pressed a kiss to his clothed chest. Jack lowered his head and caught her bottom lip in between his teeth. Slowly their lips molded together as their hands and mouths became hungry. Jack's hand was entangled in Kate's hair when she came to her senses.

"Jack, we can't do this, the kids are in the other room," Kate breathed as she placed a hand on his chest to push herself away.

"Damn," he breathed as he placed his forehead against hers.

Later that day Lacey played on the swing set as Jackson rode around on his dirt bike. Jack was inside pacing around the house and talking on the phone to different people at the hospital. Jackson noticed that his dad was rubbing his hand over his head, a sign that he was frustrated. He stayed away from his dad while he hashed out his problems. Kate and Amelia had gone to the park so Jackson couldn't get Amelia by herself to see what was wrong. But then again that might not be good idea he thought.

Jack emerged from the house looking flustered.

"Bastards at work pissing you off?" Jackson asked his dad.

"Jackson," Jack tried to sound firm and angry but failed as he chuckled. He was too mad at his colleagues to be mad at his son.

"Yeah, the bastards are pissing me off," Jack told him.

"Daddy! What's a baskert?" Lacey yelled from her swing. Jackson was getting ready to correct her when his father sent him a fierce look.

"It's a bad person sweetheart. And I never want to hear to you say that word," he told his daughter as he naturally picked her up off the swing and replaced her with him by sitting down and placing her on his lap. They swung together as Jackson put his bike away and got out his soccer ball.

Kate pulled into her driveway and helped get Amelia out of the car. They were walking towards the front door when Kate caught a glimpse of Jack and Lacey on the swing together. She stood there staring at him for a minute before he looked up. He smiled and waved; she waved back as Amelia stood at the front door holding onto the knob and sighed loudly.

"Oh gawd I'm coming my Lord," she told her daughter.

"Well I want to go in," Amelia told her mother impatiently.

"And I want to wave at our neighbors," Kate retorted.

"You mean your boyfriend?" Amelia asked bitterly as she walked into the house. The little girl threw her bag onto the floor and began stomping into the kitchen.

"Wait a minute young lady, come back here," Kate said firmly. Amelia stopped but didn't turn around and stayed where she was.

"Come here," Kate growled. Amelia rolled her eyes before turning around to face her mother and approach her. 'What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," Amelia said to the floor as she crossed her arms. Kate rolled her eyes heavenward, she was supposed to be doing this when her daughter a teenager, not six.

"There's something wrong," Kate pried.

"I don't want you to have a boyfriend!" Amelia screamed, her hands clenched into fists and her face turned red. She ran towards the stairs and climbed three before Kate's words stopped her.

"Why not?"

"Because he's gonna hit you and me! Daddy was your boyfriend and he hit us!" Amelia screamed and cried. She was shaking violently and couldn't breathe. Kate went over to her but she ran up the stairs, tripping over a stair on her way up, and slammed her bedroom door shut. Kate collapsed onto the bottom stair and threw her head into her hands. Sitting on the stair she could literally feel her heart break.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Kate sat on the bottom step and let the tears rush down her face. Her daughter had always been an amazing judge of character. If Amelia was truly scared of Jack would Kate be able to pursue anything with him? She highly doubted it. Somewhere in the back of her mind she began wondering whether Jack would ever hurt them. Of course he wouldn't, she thought.

Her head was pounding and spinning as she took deep breaths. She needed to go console her daughter, she understood that, but she just couldn't move. Slowly getting to her feet she wiped her hands on the front of her pants and went to the kitchen. There was a small knocking sound coming from the sliding glass door that led to the patio. Looking over Kate saw Lacey standing there. Hurriedly Kate wiped off her tear stained cheek before walking to the door and sliding it open. Lacey put her hands behind her back and looked up innocently at Kate.

"Can Amelia come out and play Miss. Kate?" the little girl asked. Kate couldn't help but smile. If Lacey saw the remains of tears she didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry baby, but she isn't feeling good. She's taking a nap," Kate told her.

"Oh, ok," Lacey said disappointedly. She turned around and ran down the patio steps and back to the swing set. Kate looked around the yard but couldn't find Jack. She did spot Jackson though walking back to his house holding his soccer ball in the crook of his arm.

"Hey Jack, you alright?" Kate asked him when she caught up with him.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Jackson told her politely. He smiled at her before walking back to the house. She hadn't missed the lack of interaction between her daughter and Jack's son during breakfast. Kate turned around and walked over to Lacey. The little girl was sitting on the swing and was kicking but failing to actually swing.

"Need help?" Kate asked her. Lacey looked up, grinned, and nodded. Kate couldn't help but smile as she got behind the girl and pushed. Lacey laughed as she got higher and higher into the air with every push. Jack walked out of his house and saw his girlfriend pushing his daughter on the swing. He couldn't help but smile when he saw them. Kate looked up and caught his gaze. She winked at him before pushing Lacey again.

"All done," Lacey announced. Kate helped stop the swing which then Lacey jumped off, ran past her dad, and went into the house.

"Hey," Jack said shyly as he walked up to Kate.

"Hi you," she said cheerfully. He brushed a kiss on the top of her head.

Tom never showed small signs of affection such as that. Never would he come up and give Kate a brief hug or grab her hand and kiss her knuckles the way Jack did. She became accustomed to not being showered with affection, it seemed normal. But now as she felt Jack adore her she felt that she had been missing something with Tom. Thoughts of Amelia came to her mind then. She was scared of Jack. Kate tried to understand that. But as that man she was scared of stood there smiling at Kate, Kate just couldn't see a monster in him as her daughter did.

Amelia looked out her bedroom window and saw her mom and Jack embrace. They hugged each other before pulling away and laughing with each other. Amelia felt a tug at her heart as she watched her mom. She had just told her mom she was scared of Jack but she was still being nice with him. Amelia almost hated being six because she couldn't understand adults. To her it seemed only natural not to be with someone when another person hurt you. Jack didn't look like her dad but that didn't mean he wouldn't hurt her.

"Do you and Amelia want to come over for dinner?" Jack asked Kate. She stuffed her hands in her back pockets and looked up at him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Amelia's really tired," Kate told him. A look of disappointment crossed his face.

"Oh, well hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow and we can have dinner tomorrow," Jack said hopefully.

"Yeah," Kate agreed but silently thought differently. Just mentioning to Amelia the thought of having dinner with Jack would be shot down.

Later that night Amelia and Kate were cuddled together on the couch watching television.

"Mommy?" Amelia asked. Her daughter hadn't called her mommy in years.

"Yeah baby," Kate told her.

"Will Jack ever hit you?"

Kate took a deep breath before answering.

"No honey, he won't hit us," Kate told her confidently.

"No Mom, not us, you, will he ever hit you?" Amelia asked innocently as she twisted her head to look up at her mom.

Kate's heart broke, if possible, again. Her daughter no longer cared it seemed if Jack would hit her, but she was worried that he would hit Kate.

"No Amelia, he'll never hit me," Kate old her daughter.

Amelia seemed to accept the answer for she cuddled closer to Kate and fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

_fair warming, this chapter may be hard to read. there's violence in it. it's good nonetheless, but beware._

**Chapter 11**

For Amelia's sake Kate agreed with her daughter to spend a little less time with Jack. That agreement actually wasn't that hard to follow through with, given that both adults worked crazy hours and had kids to care for. Kate saw a difference in her daughter's behavior because of the separation, she was much more relaxed. When they got home at night they would do homework, Kate would make dinner, relax, and then wash up and go to bed. That was their nightly ritual for as long as Kate could remember.

But on Friday night, exactly a week after the kid's campout, Kate broke that routine. She and Amelia were at Tom's house. Because they never married Kate and Tom agreed to their own custody agreements. But there was a problem within the agreements; Kate refused to leave Amelia alone with Tom. Amelia knew and understood that, and even if Kate didn't do that, she still wouldn't stay alone with her father.

Amelia was sitting on the couch watching television when she heard screaming coming from the kitchen. She brought her knees up against her chest and crushed her hands against her ears. The yelling, though, was penetrating through her fingers. She grabbed two pillows and replaced her hands with them.

"Shut up!" Kate yelled at Tom.

"Damnit Kate, you're not always right!" he fought back

It had gotten to the point that they had forgotten what they were fighting about, they were just fighting.

"Tom!" Kate bellowed. Tom's fist came down hard on the side of her face. She crashed to the floor in surprise of the blow. Gaining her senses she got back up. She couldn't feel blood but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Tom walked over to her and before she could think she pushed two trembling hands against his chest. Her attempt barely made a dent; he gripped her wrists swiftly and served a blow to her stomach. She bent double to the floor as she coughed. She was unable to move; she sat on the cold tile floor with her arms wrapped around her stomach when something caught her eye. Amelia was standing near the doorway with tears in her eyes. Tom obviously hadn't seen her and Kate planned on keeping it that way.

As her precious little girl stood there silently crying Tom kicked Kate in the throat. That blow sent her to the floor on her side. Her head was spinning and no longer could she breathe. Forcefully Tom gripped her hair and stood her upright causing tears to stream down her face. Turning to him she felt his rough hand slash across her cheek. This time she felt the blood on her lips. The iron taste of the liquid stung her lips like poison. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Amelia run into the kitchen.

"Stop it!" she was crying. She went running to Kate but was stopped when Tom slapped her hard across the head. Kate could hear the contact made by the hand and screamed. Tom released her which sent her falling to the floor next to her baby. Her whole body shook violently as she cradled Amelia. The little wasn't responding to Kate. Becoming worried Kate patted her cheek and spoke her name firmly. It was only then when she realized that blood was spilling from her right ear and she couldn't hear out of it. With a firm thrust of her daughter Kate gave in to body racking sobs. Maternal instincts had her standing up in a flash and slapping Tom flush across the cheek. He didn't respond. His eyes were glued to his little girl on the floor. Tears rushed to his eyes as he dropped to his knees and buried his head in his hands.

Despite not being able to breath properly, the fact that she was bleeding from her ear and cuts on her face, and not being able to hear out of one ear, she picked up her unconscious daughter and carried her out of the house. When she got to her car she hastily grabbed a blanket from the backseat and wrapped her fragile girl in it. Kate stood next to her car in the driveway holding her daughter like a baby and breathed deeply. Her body wouldn't stop shaking violently. She slid ungracefully into the drivers seat with Amelia propped on her lap. She fumbled with putting the keys in the ignition and dropped them.

"Damnit," she hissed as she reached down to get them. When she picked them up she watched her daughter. She cried so hard that a migraine formed. Jamming the keys into place and starting the car, Kate did her best to pull out with her daughter on her lap and carefully made her way through town to the hospital. The closest parking spot to the ER entrance was in the middle of the freakin lot. Kate swore deeply as she wrenched her door open and carefully got out. Amelia was still out cold. She closed her door, had her keys, but couldn't remember if she locked the car as she walked to the doors, and truthfully she could care less.

She could feel people staring at her. She was wearing an expensive gray suit but her face was battered and bloodied and the child in her arms was limp and white. Nurses ushered past her and some offered to help but she pushed past them all and went straight to the front desk.

"Where's Dr. Shephard?" she asked somewhat rudely.

The nurse sighed deeply before she looked up. When she brought her gaze up to Kate sympathy flooded her eyes.

"Christian or Jack honey?" she asked, straining to keep her voice calm.

Christian must have been his dad she thought, the Chief of Surgery.

"Jack."

"He should be in his office," the nurse told her. She explained to Kate how to get to the office. Kate took off instantly through more sliding glass doors and turned down a hallway when she spotted him. He was walking down the hall towards her reading a file before he looked up. His gaze caught on Kate and the bloody bundle in her arms. Kate began crying and shaking again as Jack ran past, more or less shoved, people to get to her. He looked at her face and saw Amelia and his stomach threatened to churn. He whipped his white lab coat off his blue scrubs and pressed the clean material to Kate's bloody wounds.

"Jack," she cried as he stood frozen. He looked down at the girl in her arms; she was white as a sheet. Coming to his senses Jack snapped out of his trance and started barking orders.

"I need a stretcher here NOW!" he yelled. A clean stretcher was brought to him immediately and gently he took Amelia out of Kate's arms. He placed her on the rolling bed and unwrapped the blanket. Jack felt her neck for a pulse, found a trace of one, and silently counted to five before performing CPR. Kate could only stand behind him and watch him save her daughter's life. Jack did compression after compression and breathed for her but nothing was working. "Amelia don't do this."

Kate noticed that he was pushing harder than necessary. She wanted to yell at him for hurting her little girl but before she could move Amelia inhaled deeply and coughed. Behind Jack Kate made an inhuman noise. He told the nurses around him what to do with the little girl before turning to Kate. They began rolling her away when Kate broke in.

"No, where is she going! I have to be with her!" Kate cried desperately.

"No Kate," Jack said embracing her hard in his arms. She had no energy to fight back.

"I have to be with her," Kate muffled against his shoulder. Jack's lab coat lay forgotten on the floor and he could feel the warm blood from Kate's ear soak through his thin scrubs. Easing her away from him he cupped her face and traced her wounds with his fingertips. She was crying and bleeding. The look she saw in his eyes was a mixture of fear, anger, and pity. She could handle fear and anger, but she didn't want pity. The top of his scrub shirt was soaked from tears and blood. Looking around him he saw nurses and doctors standing around watching them. Needing to help her he lifted her into his arms, one hand behind her back and one under her knees, and carried her down the hall.


	12. Chapter 12

_I hope you like this chapter. It was kinda rushed._

**Chapter 12**

Jack gently placed Kate on a bed. The nurses and doctors flooding the ER were oblivious to the bloodied couple. Kate was shaking and gripped Jack's shirt with all the force she could muster. Sobs broke through once again as she gripped Jack's waist and cried into his chest. Jack cuddled her against him and kissed the top of her head. Pulling away from her Jack looked at Kate's face and into her eyes. Anger made the blood in his veins boil as a dozen thoughts of how he wanted to kill Tom clouded his mind. Once again snapping into doctor mode he began wiping away Kate's blood and stitched up the cut above her eyebrow. He checked out her ear and decided that there was no permanent damage.

Kate sat down in front of him on the bed in a daze. She had quit crying and just sat motionless. Jack placed another kiss to her forehead before walking away to the desk and filling out papers she failed to do when she arrived. He carried the papers on a clipboard over so that Kate could sign them. She read none of them as she signed them.

"I want to see her," she said quietly.

"Kate…"

"Jack, I need to see my daughter," Kate looked at him and said firmly. He could only look at her and sigh.

"Alright," he nodded his head. "Let me get you some pain pills thought first."

Jack left the ER to retrieve a pain pill and a sleeping pill. He hated doing it to Kate but she was exhausted, despite what she may have thought. He returned to her with the pills and a glass of water. Popping both pills into her mouth she took a hurried drink and hopped off the bed. Jack walked over to throw the cup away and caught Kate leaning against the bed.

"I'm so tired," Kate told him.

"You should lie down," he informed her.

"Amelia…"

"I will take you to see her as so as you sleep some," he told her as he helped her back onto the bed.

Fatigue was too much to have her fighting back. She only nodded as she laid back on the white sheets and shut her eyes. Jack brought the blanket from the end of the bed up to cover her body. He wrapped the curtains around the bed and passed nurses on his way out of the room.

He went to the elevator and went to the first floor. Walking down the hall he stopped at a door on his left and pushed it open. In the room at the other end was Amelia. She was propped up in bed and watching television. Her hospital gown had bright pink and yellow polka dots on it. The room itself had fake looking animals painted everywhere. She looked over and saw him walking towards her. He looked nice enough she thought. There were two other beds in the room which were occupied with kids and had their parents sitting around them. Jack walked past both beds to reach Amelia's. She lifted her arms into the air indicating she wanted picked up.

He reached down and scooped up the little girl in his arms. She clung to him just as her mother had. Jack had always seen this girl as brave and strong but as she held onto him he knew that she was scared and fragile underneath, just like her mother. Instead of sitting on the bed he cuddled her comfortably into his arms and walked around the bed and to the window. Out of paternal instincts he gently rocked the girl in his arms as he carried her around her part of the room.

"Jack?" Amelia's voice was hardly above a whisper.

"Yeah."

"Is my mom alright?" she asked. Jack couldn't help but detect the note of protectiveness in her voice.

Jack walked over and sat down on the bed. He set her upright so that he could look at her face.

"Your mom is just fine. She's downstairs sleeping," Jack informed her. Amelia absently began playing with the drawstrings on Jack's scrub pants.

"You have our blood on your shirt," she informed him matter of factly.

"I know."

"That bastard hurt her," she told Jack. "He was hitting her. I wanted to help her but I don't remember anything. I just remember waking up here."

"Does he hit her a lot?" Jack asked.

She looked up at him with small eyes.

"Yeah," Amelia said. Ending the conversation she wrapped her arms around his waist because she was straddling him. She buried her face into his chest as he kissed the top of her head. Officially now he had two little girls who held big places in his heart.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Jack waited till Kate fell asleep in his bed before closing the door and walking downstairs. He had brought her back to his house the night after she came into the hospital with Amelia. Her car was still parked at the hospital which sent Kate into hysterics when Jack told her he was driving her and Amelia home. She was horrified that Tom would see it there. Jack promised that he would arrange to have it brought back to her house.

Just as Jack was getting ready to take Kate into her house he decided against the idea and had the two girls stay over so that he could watch over them. That was what he told Kate and she was too drugged to figure what Jack was thinking. If he stayed with Kate at her house and Tom showed up there was a good chance one man would be dying, and Jack wasn't planning on going down quietly.

As he walked into the kitchen he pulled a bottle of wine from the back of a cabinet. His hard drinking days with Sarah were in the past but hard times called for harsh measures, and it was just wine he assured himself. He pulled the cork and drank straight from the bottle. The instant feeling of calm spread through his body as the wine made his cells pulse. How ironic he thought.

The creek of the wooden floor from the foyer had Jack looking at Kate's shadow as it became more real. Her hair was tousled around her face and the wounds were like a plague eating away at her face. Actually it wasn't that bad Jack scowled himself. But seeing black marks on the woman he loved called for rash feelings. The woman he loved? Was that really how he felt? They had only known each other for a matter of weeks. Could someone feel so deeply with only a short acquaintance? The questions were making Jack's head foggy as the wine and Kate's marks poisoned his system.

Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked like a scared little mouse, but she never removed her gaze from Jack. He stayed where he was at the counter, scared that she might not want him coming to her. Slowly, but not reluctantly, she walked over to Jack. Her arms were still crossed as she stood in front of him.

"Where's Amelia?" she asked quietly to Jack.

"She's sleeping in Lacey's room," Jack told her. Instinctively to reached out and brushed a curl behind her ear. Underneath his fingertips he felt her tense to his light touch. He wanted to reach out and hug her until she knew he would protect her but he was scared that she would push away from him, not just physically but emotionally.

She loosened her arms from the front of her chest and reached to grab the wine bottle in Jack's hand. Like him she drank straight from the bottle.

"I've never reacted like this before," Kate said, almost to herself. "Tom's hit me and Amelia and usually we just leave. I've never gone to the hospital or told anyone…we just leave."

Kate started pacing around the kitchen. What she wanted to say is that she wanted comfort from the man she loved. She almost laughed to herself when she said the work love in her head. But what she didn't want from Jack was sympathy, she could handle comfort and protection, but damned if she had him pitying her. She walked over to the table in the middle of the room and jumped up to sit on it. Her feet dangled below her and she loosely held the bottle in her hand between her legs.

"He keeps telling me he'll quit," Kate snorted. "And stupid me always goes back."

Jack wanted to say something but it was as if Kate was having a conversation with herself.

"Amelia adores him, despite what he does. He was, is, a good dad. It gets to the point sometimes that he's so calm and happy that I forget he hits us. Then one thing flips his trigger and we get the after affects of the storm."

She looked around at the floor but never glanced up to Jack.

"She tried to protect me. I saw her standing in the doorway and then she came running in and told Tom not to hurt me."

She brought the lip of the bottle to her mouth and drank deeply.

"I should have protected her instead of her protecting me," Kate choked on a sob. 

Jack could handle listening to her vent about Tom but he would be damned if she started berating her parenting skills.

He walked over to her and ripped the bottle out of her hands. He set it on the table next to her and kissed her. He held her face in his hands as he lost himself in the kiss. Her hands lovingly held his hips and she tilted her head back to allow Jack more access. Kate was struggling to breathe as Jack's hands tightened slightly around her face. She pulled away from his hungry lips. When he looked down at her he saw that his hands were covering the bruises. Cursing himself he let go and helped her to her feet.

They stood only an inch apart and studied each other. The intent stare from Jack had Kate's heart ache. She breathed deeply and lowered his head to kiss the stitches above her eyebrow.

"I love you," he whispered against her forehead. A tear streaked down her cheek as she weighed his words.

"Jack," Kate said faintly.

"Hmm?"

"Look at me," she told him lightly. He pulled his head away slightly to look down into her eyes. "I love you."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

After taking several days off, Kate was back to work. Her office desk was piled with client files. Her secretary had a ridiculously long list of phone calls she needed to return. By the time she was able to sit at her desk and take a breath she had been at work for almost an hour. The only thing on her desk that wasn't cluttered was a picture of her and Amelia. It was off to the side by itself. Absently she leaned back in her chair to study the photograph. Amelia was on her back were her arms wrapped tightly around her mother's neck. The little girl's smile was toothless in some places and her hair was tousled. Kate's hair was just as messy as mother and daughter posed for the camera that had been thrust into their faces by a friend of Kate's. Kate couldn't help but smile at the picture.

Taking a deep breath she sat back up in her chair and picked up a file. She glanced through the client's personal's just as there was a knock on her door.

"It's open," Kate yelled.

"Kate Austin?" a man asked from the doorway. He was wearing a brown uniform consisting of a button shirt and shorts with boots.

"Yes," Kate said as she began to rise.

"I have a delivery for you," the man informed her. When he walked into the room she saw that he was carrying a dozen red roses. Her mouth fell slightly agape at the sight in front of her. The man held out an electronic clipboard in which she signed before he handed her the roses and bid her a good day. After the door closed she went over and sat down. Giddy as a child she removed the card from the pick and removed it from the tiny envelope.

_Hi Dear,_

_There's a rose for every hour we've been apart. I miss you. _

_Love, Jack_

For some reason Kate couldn't believe that it had been twelve hours since she had last seen him. It was nine in the morning meaning she left his house at nine the night before, after the couple had dinner with their children. Her heart started beating faster as she reread the note. She loved it when he called her 'dear'. Gripping the vase in both hands she got up from her chair and walked over the one of the windows. On the little table underneath the sill she removed a book and replaced it with the vase. She placed the book back on the shelf where it sat unnoticed most of the time.

She dug through her purse for a picture of her and Jack Jackson had taken without them realizing it. They were standing at the kitchen counter cooking dinner and laughing. Their backs were to the camera but the joy flowing from the two of them was evident. She had stuck the picture in a frame that morning and now placed it next to the picture of her and Amelia. Wedging the card from Jack into the frame she sat back at studied the pictures. Absently she rubbed her healing bruise above her eye and realized how happy she was now.

When lunch time rolled around Kate had managed to comb through four out of twenty files littering her desk. Heaving a sigh she placed the file down and rubbed her eyes.

"You look tired," a voice said from the doorway. Kate glanced up to see Jack standing there. He was wearing dress pants and a button down shirt tucked into his pants.

"Hmm," Kate snorted. "Am I that transparent?"

"Regret taking some time off?" he asked instead of answering.

"I'm getting there," she said quietly.

Carefully he walked behind her and softly began kneading her shoulders. The knot that had built up over the past two hours was slowly untying itself. She moaned slightly and rolled her head on her shoulders.

After several minutes Jack stopped massaging her shoulders and leaned against her desk.

"You hungry?" he asked. She rolled her neck again before tilting her head back to look up at him. She simply nodded. He couldn't help but chuckle at her simple way to reach his heart. He lowered his lips to hers before taking her hand and helping her up. She caught a glimpse of the flowers as she was standing up. Fiercely she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He was knocked off balance at first but hugged her back nonetheless. He was stroking her back as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"…For loving me," she told him. The simple statement pulled at his heart. He kissed the top of her head as he stood there holding her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Kate sat across from Jack at their in the restaurant. The atmosphere was light yet romantic with the lights dim and music flowing softly throughout the large room. Jack ordered wine before they decided what to have to eat. Kate ordered chicken parmesan while Jack ordered shrimp scampi. Jack poured Kate and himself wine and the couple toasted before drinking. Kate's sudden emotional outburst was forgotten as they sat at their table. Everywhere around them there were couples occupying tables. Some were holding hands and occasionally kissed whereas other couples were too absorbed in cell phones or other electronic devices to pay attention to their partners.

Jack rested his elbows on the top of the table and held his hands together in front of his eyes. Kate was too busy looking around at people to notice that he was watching her. He watched her as she seemed to study other couples at other tables. The way her eyes would tend to zero in and pay strict attention to how other people acted was oddly seductive. She brought her hand to her wine glass before she returned her gaze to him. She sipped and then caught him watching her. His eyes were intently watching the emotions in her face change from curiosity to amusement to scared.

"Are you scared of me?" Jack asked her simply.

Kate took a sip of wine and was in the process of swallowing as she shook her head.

"No, of course not," Kate told him.

"Then why did you look frightened when you caught me watching you?"

She furrowed her eyebrows into an almost straight line.

"You caught me off guard."

The food arrived then.

Kate cut a piece of her chicken as Jack poured more wine into her glass. Before taking a bite she leaned forward and kissed Jack sweetly on the lips. Each one began eating their food before eyeing the others.

"Is the chicken good?" Jack asked her.

"It's incredible," she inhaled as the hot food went down her throat.

She cut a piece and held it in the air for him to eat. When he took the bite his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Jack," she said worriedly.

"Don't interrupt," he held up a finger. "I'm having a moment."

She smiled as she watched him and then caught the sauce on his lip. She chuckled as she took the napkin from her lap and brushed at his lip.

"Oh, Kate, you should have kissed it off," Jack sighed.

She chuckled as she settled back in her seat and adjusted the napkin back on her lap. He poured her third glass of wine and set the bottle down.

"You're not having anymore?" she asked.

"No, I don't know if I'll have any surgeries later," he informed her.

"Oh," she managed to say. Him getting drunk and then performing surgery never crossed her mind.

After lunch Jack drove Kate back to her office.

"I'll see you later," he whispered to her as they sat eye to eye.

"Ok," she giggled. They kissed passionately before she got out of the car and walking into her office building.


End file.
